In the Line of Fire
by IceHaze
Summary: Heaven hath no rage like love and beauty burned, nor hell a fury like a dragon scorned.


**Disclaimer**:I don't own Sailormoon or Naruto, but I wish I at least owned a few of the characters. :/  
><strong>Warning: <strong> Language  
><strong>Timeline<strong>:AU  
><strong>Author's Notes:<strong> Inspired by an episode of Sailormoon and the very fact that when it comes down to it, Usagi is a god in her own right. Scary thought...

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><p><strong>In the Line of Fire<strong>

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><p>Perhaps it was life's way of gaining personal amusement by torturing her with false opportunities or perhaps it was simply all a clever fabrication by her peers to thwart her climb to success. But the inevitable truth was that life was a conspiracy; life was a series of blissful experiences which would sooner or later be pulled up after it dangled before you in a taunting matter. Or simply stated, life was a bitch.<p>

"It's not fair. It's just not _fair_!"

"Will you calm down?"

Her eyes gazed down at the chosen princess in unhidden jealousy. Rei was currently adorned in a lavish light pink dress, lace arranged in a cascading downward, gliding pattern. Her hair was given special attention for this performance—straightened until the black color shone and reflected a glossy, appealing look. Her makeup was done lightly to enhance her natural features—foundation lightly padded on her cheeks, mascara to give the appearance of longer eyelashes, and a light shade of lipstick to bring out her lips. And the accessories she wore for her outfit would be the envy of any female with a theatrical aspiration. Overall, it made Usagi cringe and writhe in an intense feeling of complete antagonism towards the newly dubbed star of the show.

"It should have been me. I should be the playing that princess, not her."

"You think _I'm_ enjoying this? I have to put up with your end for the entire performance."

"Shut up, will you? It's not like you had a lot riding on the auditions. You only joined because everyone pressured you."

"Not true at all. I joined because the pay was decent and the workload was light."

"Oh, forgive me. I didn't realize your lazy personality was the cause of your predicament. My honest mistake."

"Forgiven."

"Lazy brat. Maybe this didn't mean anything to _you_ but I, on the other hand, would bet my life on this performance. This was my moment to shine! My moment to succeed! The pivotal point to launch my theatrical career!"

"Don't be so dramatic. You only wanted that role so you could share the romantic scenes with Mamoru."

Usagi blushed. "N-no, n-not at all! I-I genuinely love acting. There's nothing more rewarding than the thrill of rushing out on stage, putting your heart out into your performance and having the crowd cheer over the hard work you bled and sweat for."

They both paused momentarily as a man dressed up in an outfit designed for a prince's part walked right past them. He looked down and smiled at Usagi before walking on to his part of the stage for individual rehearsal. The brief exhange caused the girl to swoon and fake a faint over the rapid increase of her heart rate.

"Oh, you'd be putting your heart into something. I'm not so sure it would be the performance."

"What? I'm a professional and young aspiring actress."

"You just want Mamoru."

"I make an effort to keep my personal affairs out of the business."

"You just want Mamoru."

"And I am focused completely at the task at hand."

"You just want Mamoru."

"Oh, screw you! I'll have you know that I don't care about Mamoru."

"Right. So it doesn't bother you one bit that Rei will be the one in his arms throughout most of the performance?"

Her eye twitched.

"And it won't matter if she's the one being swept away by so-called 'Prince Charming'?"

Her fist tightened.

"If that doesn't bother you then it _certainly_ won't matter if she's the one that kisses Mamoru...in _every_ scene they share together."

Her chest heaved in controlled anger before she released a breath of air sharply to calm her nerves. "Of course not. It's just a performance."

"You're absolutely right. It's strictly professional. Well, let's just hope the practice they put into their private rehearsals will lead to a wonderful show."

Usagi's mouth dropped. "P-private…r-rehearsals?"

"Well, they have to prepare for the love scenes, right? I expect they would allot more time into delivering a realistic performance, after all, the audience has to believe they are truly in love. That would mean much needed practice on their own time. And it would be much more beneficial for them to accomplish the task in private quarters, where prying eyes can't see their intimate actions."

She paled. "It's just practice."

"But I wonder if things would get out of hand. After all, what guy could resist such an erotic moment with a girl dressed up to look like a princess. It's any man's sexual fantasy fulfilled. Plus Mamoru's a college student. I would expect it wouldn't stop at just a kiss."

She pressed her hands to her ear. "Shut up, Itachi! Just stop it! I don't want to hear it!"

"Oh come on, Usagi. It's not such a big deal."

"Well maybe not to you! But this could have been my moment with Mamoru. I could have shared that kiss with him. I could have been the one making out with him in those private sessions and maybe more. Then he would have realized how much he loves me and then he'd ask me out. Then we would get married, give birth to two children and live happily ever after."

"You really are into the role, aren't you?"

She pouted. "It doesn't matter now. Rei has the part of the princess. Lying two-timing bitch." She kicked the floor in anger.

"You're a wonderful friend, you know that?"

"It's true! I'm certain this was all orchestrated against me! I was the most anticipated candidate for that role. Even Mamoru said so after the auditions."

"They always say things like that. 'You did great. Wonderful audition. We'll get back to you.' But in the end, it's all for show. It's usually the prelude to a letdown."

She stomped her foot. "No! I really _was_ the best! You can ask anyone at the auditions. I was the only one who got all the lines correct, the only one who put in a believable performance and the only one that looked like a real princess in that dress! I could see it in everyone's eyes, even the director's. She was so enthusiastic about my audition. Plus I was the only one who got a standing ovation from it! She shooed everyone else as soon as they were done. I was also the only one that she made wait afterwards to talk to personally. Then she gave me a full script! I just don't understand! How the heck did I not make it to the cut if all that happened to me? Rei wasn't even allowed to finish! The director cut her off during the first half of her scene." She fisted her hand. "Rei was behind this. She rigged the casting call somehow so that she could be princess and I could be….UGH!" Usagi squeezed her costume in frustration. "I hate her! I hate her! That bitch! I hate her!"

Itachi placed a firm hand on her shoulder. "Will you calm down? You're making a spectacle. Save your energy and rage for your role. You'll need it."

"I hate my life. I really do. I could have been living it up with Mamoru by now. Instead I'm stuck with _you_…in this…" She picked her costume and stretched it out. "…_horrid_ outfit."

"And I love you too," he answered sarcastically.

She buried her head into her mask, growling into it loudly in frustration.

"Look it's not that bad. I was just teasing you before."

Usagi's eyes peeked from behind her mask. "Really?"

"Usagi, Mamoru is a college student. He wouldn't be caught dead with little fourteen year-old girls."

Usagi's enthusiasm fell as she realized that statement was also directed at her.

"Furthermore, there was no way Rei could have cheated. The roles were casted when she was away with her grandfather."

She sank further into her own dark corner.

"Everything was executed fairly. The director simply saw more potential for that part in Rei. That's all. I'm certain she enjoyed your performance. She probably just figured that you could bring more liveliness into _this_ role with your energy and saw that no one else would convey this character better than you."

"I guess. But I hate it. I really do." She picked up the green outfit and scanned it entirely.

"Look, I'm not too thrilled either, okay? I'm the one that has to support you the entire time."

"But you're not the one everyone is going to see. I'll be the butt of the jokes in school when we return. And I have to say all those silly lines and grunts." She released a growl of frustration while pulling on the pigtails dangling from her hair. "This is going to be the worst day of my life!"

"No it's not. Remember that time you tripped and fell into mud and stunk the entire day? You walked into the arcade to get washed up and ran into Mamoru who made that really weird face. It was a priceless expression."

"Shut up, Itachi. Really, just shut up."

"I was just saying…"

"My life is already a hell as it is without _you_ screwing it up."

"I was simply being a good friend and trying to cheer you up. Now enough of your antics. We have to practice."

She sighed in reluctant acceptance to her fate. "Fine. Whatever." With a few grumbles of irritation, she straightened out her mask and put it on. She then took her top of the outfit and zipped it up tightly.

Itachi got into his half of the costume and made sure everything was secure before hoisting Usagi onto his shoulders and steadying both their weights.

Usagi cleared her throat before beginning her attempts at growls and snarls.

"Grr. Argh. Rawrr."

Itachi rolled his eyes from within the confinements of his costume at her monotone expressions. "That was pitiful, Usagi."

Usagi gave a humph of agitation. "I don't know how to be a dragon, okay?"

"Think mean."

"I can't." She scoffed in a mock royal attitude. "I'm a delicate princess."

Itachi shook his head. _Delicate princess my ass_. "Well try to sound angrier when you growl. Just think of having to take tests on the weekends."

She gave it a quick thought before clawing her hands and releasing a few angry growls, not quite on par with a dragon but at least the potential for more was there. It was heading in the right direction.

"Not bad but you have to sound really pissed, animalistic. Try not to think about it. Just feel. Go crazy with it."

"I can't. I only know how to be a princess. That's all I practiced for!"

This would do no good if she continued to sulk over losing the role. If she couldn't focus, the performance would not flow well on stage, especially with the interactions between the dragon and the princess. The princess...Itachi smirked at his newfound angle. "Just think of Mamoru and Rei having sex in their private sessions."

Usagi's face immediately became much darker, as did her aura. Her pupils dilated and lost focus, seeing only those images in her mind. Her chest began to rise and fall rather rapidly and her heavy breathing became louder as a result.

Itachi faltered for a second over such a menacing presence considering he was sharing a costume with the girl. He felt the change in her demeanor long before her physical body caught up with the emotions. First, her hands began to flail, then her head began to thrash and fairly soon after that, her kettle released an angry whistle of terror about to unleash. Her voice ripped across the stage with a string of incoherent curses, growls, strangled snarls and rabid howls.

Itachi's feet struggled to keep up with Usagi's body which was thrashing about violently. He took one step here only to have her body contort there. He moved there only to have her body thrash about here. In a clumsy attempt, he tried to keep afoot in order to balance out her weight. In doing so, the two moved about the entire stage in complete disarray, without any regard to a particular path in mind—one man desperately trying to maintain his partner on his shoulders and not run over innocent victims while one girl flailed about in bitter resentment and utter atrocity.

"Look out everyone!"

"Dragon on the loose!"

Several of the people practicing on stage began to roll and jump out of the way of the dragon duo and their destructive path. They dodged every which way as they unsuccessfully predicted the dragon's course.

Usagi huffed and puffed, completely lost in her outrage. "I'll kill that princess! I'll kill her! Where is she? WHERE IS SHE!"

"Not that I don't mind your newfound enthusiasm for this role, but will you please calm down? I can barely…"

Usagi's feet violently kicked Itachi on the side which caused him to lose his hold momentarily; the duo then began their inevitable tumble onto the wooden floor. After a quick recovery, she stood up with her half of the costume still intact, looking about the crowd of people to try and find the elusive princess. She ignored the spectacle she was causing, her eyes and breathing not quite adjusting into focus over her environment and former rampage of destruction.

"Seriously, you need help. Don't be a drama queen. Just calm down."

Usagi slashed away Itachi's comforting hand. "Not yet! I have to find her! I have to capture her! I want her in my hands! I want her in my grasp! I want to _squeeze_ the life energy out of her body." Usagi squeezed her claws in order to illustrate the action she desired. "I'll have her begging for mercy, begging for death, begging to liberate her from this world, from the agonizing pain of her torture. And the last thing she'll see before I kill her is the reflection of her own _pitiful_ horror from my blood shot eyes." She spat and began to cackle evilly right after a momentary pause. "I'll make her regret the day she crossed me! I'll make her regret the day she was born. Her life, her essence, the very fabric of her being will be erased for eternity from this dreadful universe!"

She pointed at the circle of people around them who stepped back in fear she would unleash her power on them. "And let her be a lesson to all who dare cross me that I will not tolerate insubordination. I will not tolerate defiance! I will not tolerate opposition!" Her wicked cackling continued to echo across the stage much to the nervousness of the innocent bystanders. She made a sharp turn towards Itachi before walking step by step closer to his position.

"You know where she is, _don't_ you?"

Itachi faltered backwards little by little with each approach she made past his personal boundaries. It wasn't until she was nearly face to face with him did he cower visibly. "I, I, well…"

"Bring her to me! Bring this woman before me! I want her here _now_!"

"Usagi, just…relax, okay? Everything's going to be f-" He turned his head abruptly when Usagi grabbed at his costume and pulled him closer to her face.

"Let her know this when you see her. Let her heart shatter before these very words that will spew from the flames of my breath. _I_ am the one you kneel before. _I_ am the one you die before. _I_ am the one you submit your very _soul_ before. In this world, in this universe, in this _lifetime_…I-AM-YOUR-_GOD_!"

A person appeared before them just then, clapping hands in applaud over the entire performance. Usagi and Itachi both turned heads to greet this enthusiastic woman.

"That was brilliant! Marvelous! A truly believable performance!"

Usagi's rage dissipated quickly as she realized who it was before her. "K-Koyuki-san. I-I well…that is I-I didn't mean to…"

"There's no reason to apologize Tsukino-san. That was the best feat of emotions I have ever seen grace this stage. In my entire ten years in this field, not once has any actor or actress moved me to the point of tears from such a brilliant work of art! I mean, just look at the audience and how much they believed you!"

She glanced at all the people who were still unsure as to how to approach the dragon girl. There was suddenly a complete focus on her surroundings and previous actions. "Oh well, I'm glad you liked it."

"Liked it? _Liked_ it? Tsukino-san even love is too feeble a word to express the emotions I feel in regards to your wonderful display of theatrical feats! I truly felt and believed you were the true Dragon God of legends! Seiryuu came alive from your performance! It's essence now resides on this stage and will grant us the morale and support this team needs to make this play one that will be remembered for generations upon end. Remember, a good story is nothing without a remarkable villain. I am certain you will be the talk of the town by the time this play is over with."

Usagi blushed from the flattery. "Ah, well, I just love acting. That's all."

Koyuki nodded with great enthusiasm. "Yes, yes! But it's just not acting, it's experiencing. It's living; it's _being_ your character that sets apart the amateurs from the professionals!"

Usagi rubbed the back of her head. "Yeah, I am pretty awesome." It was her turn to feel invaded when the director appeared unbelievably close to her face.

"And can you believe I was actually this close," She place two fingers atop each other in a tight squeeze, "_this_ close to casting you as the princess?"

Usagi faltered. "What?"

"You were just so beautiful in that dress and your audition…oh your _audition_! Everything about it just spelled princess to me. You were the very epitome of what a princess who was separated from her long lost love should be."

Usagi's face fell. "Eh heh, yeah…"

"Why, even Mamoru agreed. In fact, you were his pick of the litter. He highly recommended you for the role."

Her mouth dropped. "R-really?"

"Oh yes, in fact, he was so enthusiastic with you, I almost believed he actually had an eye out for you personally." She winked at Usagi. "Mentioned many a times how much he would enjoy his private rehearsals with you."

Her mouth further dropped. "H-he said that?"

"Yes, but this role, _this_ role! I can see _this_ role was made especially for you! Never mind the princess…the Dragon God Seiryuu…yes, it sends chills down my spines just thinking about it." She shivered in delight at the thought and prowess from such a title. "There is, in fact, no one else who exemplifies a god more than you Tsukino-san. You should feel honored to possess such a powerful role."

Usagi was not honored by it at all. "Yeah, honored…"

"I admit, I had my doubts before, but when Itachi _insisted_ that this role was more suited for your personality, well I became intrigued."

Her whole body stopped at the sudden understanding of those words and she turned her head slowly in hidden rage over to her partner who was discreetly sliding away. "You don't say…"

"Well you did such a wonderful job as a princess I didn't believe you could actually pull off the part of such an evil villain. But I guess that goes to show you that even veteran directors can call the wrongs shots. You have such natural talent to be able to offer that much range in acting on stage."

Usagi straigtened her entire body, carefully assesing her new victim. "Uh, _huh_..."

"Mamoru was not convinced at first. It took Itachi quite a bit of fast-talking to ensure him that you were better off as the dragon. He finally submitted to the notion after awhile, not pleased at all by the sudden turn of events. But not to worry! He'll soon come to see our vision of this play."

Usagi slowly began to make her way toward Itachi. "Is that _so_?" She gritted out.

"Yes, yes! This is going to be a brilliant performance! I can see it now in the headlines: _The Dragon God of Legends creates a new legend on stage! Tsukino-san delivers a spectacular performance! Like nothing you've ever seen before! A feast for the eyes_!"

Usagi's nostrils flared and her face began to turn red. It was enough to make Itachi shrink back.

"And to think I was going to put you in the role of that princess! Silly me! I guess my age is starting to show."

Usagi's feet lifted one after the other until she was stomping over to Itachi in careful strides. He seemed to sense the upcoming outcry as he began to back away slowly.

"Am I glad Itachi recommended you for the dragon. Look! You're even in character and you're not even _practicing_!"

Her hands flailed again, her chest heaved, her eyes lost complete focus once more and she released a heavy roar that caused every person in the vicinity minus the director to flee the set in terror.

"I'M GOING TO _KILL_ YOU!"

"That's the spirit, Tsukino-san! Keep it up! Keep it up and you'll make an excellent god in no time! I see a future for you in theater yet!"

She ignored the directors words, lost to her newfound outrage.

"Get back here Itachi! GET BACK HERE YOU COWARD!"

Itachi did not even look back as he ran about the stage in an attempt to dodge her bites and slashes.

"I'm going to strangle you! I'm going to maim you! I'm going to rip you apart until your own mother can't even recognize you!"

Koyuki continued to applaud Usagi. "Such wonderful students I have."

There was a cry of anger and a cry of terror as the two ran about the streets in their current attire. Many pointed fingers and many hid into nearby shops. But all of the people in the crowd watched in disbelief as a fiery dragon rampaged throughout the city in a heated attempt to capture its own tail.

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><p><strong>End.<strong>

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><p><strong>Author's Notes<strong>

Haha I hope you enjoyed that. I am working on HC right now but wanted to give you guys something to satisfy your hunger, for the next chapter may take another month or so to finish. I may spit out more one-shots during the process. It actually doesn't deter my pace but rather helps me write faster since I get a break from it.

And why did Itachi do that to Usagi? Write your suspicions as to why in the review. ;)

_~Icehaze_


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